You may want to flaunt your exquisite work ethic, but know what’s expected.
“Have a specific meeting with your direct boss,” Pollak says. “Ask, ‘What will be a home run for the first 60 or 90 days?’”
The thrill of a new job — ah, the crisp collared shirts and even crisper employment forms to autograph — can come with a newfound burst of career adrenaline: This is your new world to conquer, a chance to work harder than ever, for sure. But be careful — career counsellors warn that the urge to make a banging first impression can be its own trap.
“You don’t have to go in there proving yourself,” says Barbara Frankel, a leadership coach with Career Counselors Consortium. “Just listen and learn.”
It’s a conundrum: You’re hired for skills and knowledge you’ve picked up elsewhere — all well and good. But resist contrasting your old workplace to the new. “Wait to be asked,” Frankel suggests. And while you may have fresh observations to offer, hold back. “Write them down in a journal, but don’t do anything with them,” Frankel says. “It will be interesting six months from now.”
Meanwhile, get comfortable. “Read the company’s website. Start subscribing to industry newsletters,” says careers blogger Lindsey Pollak. “Walk around the building. Find the bathroom. You’ll want to feel like you belong.”
Turn on the charm: “Be appreciative to everyone around you,” Frankel adds. “Learn names quickly. Smile and greet people each day.
“Eventually, a buzz starts happening about who you are.”
Happy hour can enhance that buzz. “After-work get-togethers are so important to developing relationships,” Frankel says.
